Friday, June 29, 2007

Okc History Books

Note: Edited on 7/3/07 to add Oklahoma Justice; edited: on 6/30/07 to Add Book Links for Amazon & Full Circle Bookstore where available; on July 18, 2007, to add And Satan Came Also; on July 19-20 to add description and Doug Dawgz "ratings" for each of the books shown here; on 7/27/07 to add Life of a Successful Bank and Oklahoma City: A Centennial Portrait; on 9/3/2007 to add The Oklahoma Land Rush and When Oklahoma Took the Trolley; and on 9/26/2007 to add Oklahoma City Rediscovered.

Doug Dawgz collection of books relating directly or indirectly to Oklahoma City history is by no means complete ... but I am working on it! The purpose of this post is to give you a list of what I have, thinking that one or some of the books might serve as starting points for your further reading and/or research about Oklahoma City history. Some of the books are out-of-print but you could likely find them in the Oklahoma City Metropolitan (or other) Library or in a used book store, or on-line.

I wholly value each of the books shown here, one way or another. Some have more "history information," some have more "images," but the best (for me) have both. I much prefer books that have indices, and, sadly, some of the otherwise better Okc History books below (notably the Arcadia publications) do not. Neither does the 2007 release by Larry Johnson, caretaker that he is for the Okc Metropolitan Library System's "Oklahoma" area. That said, images are present in his new book that I've not seen before, and that makes it valuable to me for that reason alone. So, regardless of the book, each contains positive contributions to Oklahoma City history, whether the "positives" be "knowledge" and/or "pictorial" information.

The books are listed alphabetically by book title. My method (1) shows the book jacket or cover, (2) gives links to a book's table of contents and a sample page, and, (3) provides links as to where you can get a copy at Amazon, Full Circle Books, or other locales at the bottom of this page. I'll edit this post later to add some additional books that I learn of or, better still, come to own!

In the table below, click on a book's title to move to that particular book. Larger images of all books' covers are available by clicking on the smaller images shown here.

Book TitleAuthorPublisher
& Year
In
Print?
Indexed?Color
Images?
And Satan Came Also - An Inside Political History of Oklahoma CityAlbert Leroy McRillBritton Publishing Co.
1955
NoYesNo
Born GrownRoy P. StewartFidelity Bank
1974
NoNoFew
Heart of the Promised Land: Oklahoma CountyBob. L. BlackburnWindsor Publications
1982
NoYesYes
Historical Atlas of OklahomaCharles Robert Goins & Danney GobleUniversity of Oklahoma Press
2006
YesYesYes
Historic Photos of OkcLarry JohnsonTurner Publishing Co.
2007
YesNoNo
Images of History: Oklahoman CollectionBob L. Blackburn & Jim ArgoOklahoma Historical Society
2005
YesNoYes
Images of Oklahoma: A Pictorial HistoryBob L. BlackburnOklahoma Historical Society
1984
?YesNo
Life of A Successful Bank: 1908-1978Pendleton Woods, Odie Faulk & Welborn HopeFidelity Bank
1978
NoYesFew
Oklahoma City: A Centennial PortraitOdie B. Faulk, Laura E. Faulk, & Bob L. BlackburnWindsor Publications
1988
?YesYes
OKC: Second Time AroundSteve Lackmeyer & Jack MoneyFull Circle Press
2006
YesYesYes
Oklahoma City: Land Run to StatehoodTerry L. GriffithArcadia Publishing
1999
YesNoNo
Oklahoma City: Statehood to 1930Terry L. GriffithArcadia Publishing
2000
YesNoNo
Oklahoma City: 1930 to the MillenniumTerry L. GriffithArcadia Publishing
2000
YesNoNo
Oklahoma City: Capital of SoonerlandLucyl ShirkOkc Board of Education
1957
NoNoNo
Oklahoma City RediscoveredWilliam D. WelgeArcadia Publishing
2007
YesNoNo
Oklahoma JusticeRon OwensTurner Publishing Co.
1995
YesNoNo
Oklahoma Land Rush of 1889Stan HoigOklahoma Historical Society
1984
NoYesYes
OPUBCO's First CenturyDavid DaryOklahoma Publishing Co.
2003
YesYesNo
Photographing Oklahoma 1889/1991Mark KlettOklahoma City Art Museum
1991
YesSortaNo
Vanished SplendorJim Edwards & Hal OttawayAbalache Book Shop Publishing Co.
1982
NoYes (in Vol 3)Yes
Vanished Splendor IIJim Edwards & Hal OttawayAbalache Book Shop Publishing Co.
1983
YesYesYes
Vanished Splendor IIIJim Edwards, Mitchell Oliphant & Hal OttawayAbalache Book Shop Publishing Co.
1985
NoYesYes
When Oklahoma Took The TrolleyAllison Chandler & Stephen McGuireInterurbans.
1980
NoYesNo
In the notes which follow, click on book cover for a larger view.

AND SATAN CAME ALSO
An Inside Political History of Oklahoma City

Click here for Contents   Click here for Sample Page
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satancamealsos.jpg This magnificent (and hard to find) book tells the seamy side of Okc history from Land Run through later days. It's a great read, even if it is comparatively pricey compared to others here ... it is perhaps the most "expensive" single book in this list (around $125 - $200, if you can find it), and it's the hardest to find. But, it got Doug Dawgz money and he thinks that it's worth every penny!

Doug Dawgz Thoughts: Content: 5 stars (you won't find matching substantive content anywhere else ... it is quite unique as to content); Book's Images: 3 stars (not because they are that great, but because they are unique); Quality of production: 1 star (except for a few images, not done with high quality paper; graphics are not that great but some are unique, not to be found elsewhere); Worth the money? 5 stars, because of content.

For a more thorough review, see George H. Shirk's review at page 120 in the linked PDF file.

BORN GROWN
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borngrown.jpg This book was written as a part of Oklahoma's contribution to the 1976 United States Bicentennial, and, arguably, contains the most expansive content from Oklahoma City's birth through the date of its publication in 1974. Don't look for any knockout pics, but the content is excellent and the book is very well indexed.

Doug Dawgz Thoughts: Content: 4 1/2 stars; Book's Images: 2 stars (while some unique images are present, they are not that great and all are black and white); Quality of production: 3 1/2 stars (the book is printed with high qualify "glossy" paper and it won't fade away before you get around to reading it) but "large" images are not presented; Worth the money? 4 stars, because of content, index, and quality of production.



HEART OF THE PROMISED LAND: OKLAHOMA COUNTY
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borngrown.jpg This 1982 book with commentary by Bob Blackburn contains a nice blend of text and images tracing the historical develpment of Oklahoma County. Unfortunately, toward the end, the book takes on a "commercial" flair with what amounts to commercial plugs for various companies operating in the Oklahoma County area, or so it seems to me ... how else (for example) might a reader characterize a full page (251) devoted to Willman's Furriers? Regardless, the paper quality is excellent, the images are sharp, and several are in color. This is not Bob Blackburn's best work, but, still, I'm glad to have it.

Doug Dawgz Thoughts: Content: 3 1/2 stars; Book's Images: 3 stars (some are unique and some are in color, but none will knock your socks off); Quality of production: 4 1/2 stars (the book is printed with high quality "glossy" paper and the images are crisp and clean); Worth the money? 3 1/2 stars - the commercials were a bummer for me, othewise I'd give it a 4 star rating because of the production quality.

HISTORICAL ATLAS OF OKLAHOMA
Click here for Contents p. 1   Click here for Contents p. 2
Click here for Contents p. 3   Click here for Contents p. 4
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This most exellent book continues the long-standing series of "Oklahoma Atlas" books published by the University of Oklahoma Press. While not "focused" on Oklahoma City, a significant number of articles, statistics, and images are, and that's why I'm listing it here.

Doug Dawgz Thoughts: Content: 4 1/2 stars - some of the essays are very very good; Book's Images: 4 stars (some are unique and a some will knock your socks off); Quality of production: 5 stars (the book is printed with high quality "glossy" paper and the images are crisp and clean; Worth the money? 4 1/2 stars - a bit more "color" would have gotten this book my "5 star" rating.

HISTORIC PHOTOS OF OKC
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Click for a larger imageLarry Johnson's black and white (as, of course, most "vintage" photographs were) 206 page book presents many images not previously displayed in Oklahoma City books. Mr. Johnson is a reference librarian at the Okc Metropolitan Library System and he maintains the "Oklahoma Room" at the downtown library.

Doug Dawgz Thoughts: Content: 2 stars - not much text accompanies the images and that's why I rank it low on "content;" Book's Images: 4 stars (many are unique and the images cover a wide span of time ... Territorial Days through downtown Civil Rights marches); Quality of production: 3 stars (the book is printed with high quality "glossy" paper but several are not crisp and many would have benefitted from contrast enhancement ... this is not Mr. Johnson's fault but is the publisher's for not taking care of production; Worth the money? 3 3/4 stars.

IMAGES OF HISTORY: OKLAHOMAN COLLECTION
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Click the pic for a larger viewThis "coffee table" book includes some outstanding photos from the Oklahoman's archives, many of which I'm sure were taken by photographer Jim Argo. With Bob Blackburn as co-author, one might expect more "scholarly" articles to accompany the photos than were present. There are too many "people" pics to suit me (from a history perspective), but, to each his/her own. The book does not focus on Oklahoma City but includes many stunning images of Okc not available elsewhere.

Doug Dawgz Thoughts: Content: 2 1/2 stars - just a bit more than Mr. Johnson's book, above;" Book's Images: 4 1/2 stars (many are unique and the images cover a wide span of time ... Territorial Days through downtown Civil Rights marches); Quality of production: 5 stars (the book is printed with high quality "glossy" paper and all (some spanning 2 pages side by side) are all sharp and very well produced; Worth the money? 4 stars.

IMAGES OF OKLAHOMA ~ A PICTORIAL HISTORY
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Click the pic for a larger viewThis book covers all of Oklahoma but with barely enough included of the Oklahoma City area to make it nice to have but not enough to make it indispensable from an Oklahoma City perspective. That said, there a few nice images, including one of the Blue Devils Deep Deuce band. All images are "sepia"-treated to make them look antique ... which they are ... almost if not all images are of Territorial or through the 1930s.

Doug Dawgz Thoughts: Content: 2 1/2 stars; Book's Images: 3 stars; Quality of production: 3 1/2 stars - I didn't care much for the sepia treatment; Worth the money? 3 stars.



LIFE OF A SUCCESSFUL BANK: 1908-1978
Contents   Sample Page
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Click the pic for a larger viewThis "smallish" (88 page) book includes some unique photos of the locations of Fidelity Bank from its beginning in 1908 to the 80th bank anniversary in 1988. Spanning 80 years of time, it also includes interesting vignettes of Okc history during that period. For a little book, it is good to have in your Okc History library. You can get it through Amazon for under $5, plus shipping.

Doug Dawgz Thoughts: Content: 4 stars; Book's Images: 3 1/2 stars; Quality of production: 3 stars (because of the non-glossy paper); Worth the money? 3 3/4 stars.





OKLAHOMA CITY - A CENTENNIAL PORTRTAIT
Contents Page 1   Contents Page 2   Contents Page 3
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Click the pic for a larger viewThis coffee table book is a celebration of Oklahoma City's Centennial in 1989, though published in 1988, and it does a pretty nice job of blending text and pictures.

Covering land run days through 1988, many of the images are quite excellent and the production quality is quite good. While a good survey, it doesn't contain a great amount of detail that you couldn't find elsewhere and doesn't begin to match the content, say, of Born Grown, (above), even if it is prettier. It is available through Amazon for under $5, plus shipping.

Doug Dawgz Thoughts: Content: 3 1/2 stars; Book's Images: 5 stars; Quality of production: 4 stars; Worth the money? 4 stars.


OKC: 2nd TIME AROUND
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Click the pic for a larger viewMy full review of this fantastic book is here. In a nutshell, this book is an Okc history lover's delight, containing enoroumous amounts of content, enormous amounts of images, and all produced with outstanding quality by Full Circle Press. Although the focus of the book is mid-1950s to the present day and how Oklahoma City managed to turn the tide of downtown's history, it also includes some stunning images which precede that period (by way of background) ... such as excellent images of "the Great Race" (1st National & Ramsey Tower) and interior shots of the Criterion.

Doug Dawgz Thoughts: Content: 5 stars; Book's Images: 5 stars; Quality of production: 5 stars; Worth the money? 5 stars.

OKLAHOMA CITY: LAND RUN TO STATEHOOD
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Click the pic for a larger viewPart 1 of Terry L. Griffith's 3-book series covers what it says, Land Run to Statehood. Although a paperback (as are all 3), the all black & white graphics quality is generally quite good but cannot be considered to be "excellent." The books are about 6 1/2" x 9 1/2" and, while that impacts the "size" of the images to being not all that large, it also makes the book handy to take with you, say, on airplanes. Even though the books' focus are "Images" (as in the publishers "Images of America" series around the country), a lot of excellent content is presented, as well.

Doug Dawgz Thoughts: Content: 4 stars; Book's Images: 4 stars; Quality of production: 4 stars; Worth the money? 4 stars.


OKLAHOMA CITY: STATEHOOD TO 1930
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Click the pic for a larger viewPart 2 of Terry L. Griffith's 3-book series covers Oklahoma City from Statehood to 1930. My general comments are the same as the above: Although a paperback (as are all 3), the all black & white graphics quality is generally quite good but cannot be considered to be "excellent." The books are about 6 1/2" x 9 1/2" and, while that impacts the "size" of the images to being not all that large, it also makes the book handy to take with you, say, on airplanes. Even though the books' focus are "Images" (as in the publishers "Images of America" series around the country), a lot of excellent content is presented, as well.

Doug Dawgz Thoughts: Content: 4 stars; Book's Images: 4 stars; Quality of production: 4 stars; Worth the money? 4 stars.

OKLAHOMA CITY: 1930 TO THE MILLENNIUM
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Click the pic for a larger viewPart 3 of Terry L. Griffith's 3-book series covers Oklahoma City from to 1930 to the "Millennium", Y2K. My general comments are the same as the above: Although a paperback (as are all 3), the all black & white graphics quality is generally quite good but cannot be considered to be "excellent." The books are about 6 1/2" x 9 1/2" and, while that impacts the "size" of the images to being not all that large, it also makes the book handy to take with you, say, on airplanes. Even though the books' focus are "Images" (as in the publishers "Images of America" series around the country), a lot of excellent content is presented, as well.

Doug Dawgz Thoughts: Content: 4 stars; Book's Images: 4 stars; Quality of production: 4 stars; Worth the money? 4 stars.

OKLAHOMA CITY: CAPITAL OF SOONERLAND
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Click the pic for a larger viewMs. Shirk's book was published by the Oklahoma City Board of Education in 1957 and (but for a map of central Oklahoma) is an all black & white production. While containing many images, it is largely "content" based. While the paper quality & weight is good, it is not "glossy" and the images lack contrast. It contains a good amount of content and images and is a good "pre-Urban Renewal" book to read ... but it doesn't focus on the problems of downtown that had begun to occur.

Doug Dawgz Thoughts: Content: 4 stars; Book's Images: 4 stars; Quality of production: 4 stars; Worth the money? 4 stars.



OKLAHOMA CITY REDISCOVERED
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Click the pic for a larger viewMr. Welge's book is a welcome addition to the various Images of America series of books which focuses on Oklahoma City. Oklahoma City Rediscovered focuses on downtown Broadway, particularly "Automobile Alley," Capitol Hill, Deep Deuce, and the "Warehouse District," i.e., "Bricktown" in today's vocabulary.

I consider the element which makes this book particularly unique is its coverage of Deep Deuce and Bricktown, covered in more depth than any other publication I've seen, and its coverage of Capitol Hill isn't far behind.

Only one area gives me some pause: on quick review, I've noticed a few obvious errors which should have been picked up before publication. Some are harmless, e.g., using "capital" when used in the context of the state's "capitol" city (as did Lucyl Shirk's book even in her book's title!) but some are not. For example, on page 18 a very nice aerial photo of the warehouse district says that the picture was taken "around 1913" which is not possible since it also shows a 3-wing Skirvin Hotel in the lower right corner, each with 14 stories — the 3rd (east) wing of the Skirvin wasn't added until around 1925 and the other wings' elevation to 14 floors didn't occur until 1930. The image also shows the Calvary Baptist Church which was constructed in 1921.Whether this mistake was a careless proofreading error (1913 instead of 1930) or some other kind of mistake doesn't matter — things such as that give reason for pause in accepting text as "factual" when it is not.

Notwithstanding, the author is very well credentialed and the research put into the book, particularly as concerns Capitol Hill, Deep Deuce, and the Warehouse District, is obviously extensive and impressive. In this book you will find more images of Deep Deuce (which were apparently not always easy to obtain) than in any other book and they are a treasure to have.

Doug Dawgz Thoughts: Content: 4 1/2 stars; Book's Images: 5 stars; Quality of production: 4 ½ stars; Worth the money? 5 stars.


OKLAHOMA CITY JUSTICE: THE OKLAHOMA CITY POLICE
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Click the pic for a larger viewWhat a fun book this one is! The author, an Oklahoma City Police Captain, definitely has a way with words! Consider his treatment of "Rip Rowser Bill," a threatening braggart in 1889 ... "...they [a "concerned" committee charged with securing him until the southbound train arrived so that he could be sent back to Texas, but "Bill" having been found hanging by the cottonwood tree before the train arrived] contended they had left Bill secured to a limb of the cottonwood tree and had limited his wanderings by means of a rope around his neck. A rapidly assembled jury agreed with the men's contention that the rope had shrunk during the night's dampness, raising Bill off the ground and causing his death. The next morning, Bill was buried on the banks of the North Canadian River just south of the Military Reserve section now known as the Bricktown area. Thus he fulfilled his prophesy about 'starting a graveyard in Oklahoma City.' But not before he was fined $3.30, the amount found in his pockets, for carrying a concealed weapon." True story? Who can say. Fun to read? Absolutely!

Although a black & white production, the paper is high quality glossy. It is largely content-based but has lots of pics, as well. Its 336 pages would probably convert to a book about 500 pages long but for the very small font-size that was used. Its only major shortcoming is that it lacks an index.

Doug Dawgz Thoughts: Content: 5 stars; Book's Images: 4 stars; Quality of production: 5 stars; Worth the money? 4 1/2 stars.

OKLAHOMA LAND RUSH OF 1889
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oklahmalandrush.jpg The inside jacket reads, "The great rush for the Oklahma lands in 1889 was more than a regional event – it was a national excitement comparable to the California and Colorado gold rushes and involved people from all parts of the country. Some were honest, God-fearing citizens; some were not." Continuing, the comments say that the book, "is the first study to take an in-depth look at what really took place before and after the shots were fired at high noon on April 22."

Doug Dawgz Thoughts: As yet, none. After I've read it, I'll amend this section.






OPUBCO's FIRST CENTURY
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Click the pic for a larger viewLike it or not, none can doubt the impact of E.K. Gaylord and his family upon Oklahoma City if not the State of Oklahoma, and David Dary, emeritus professor of journalism at the University of Oklahoma, tells the story very very well. Beginning with the pre-Oklahoma roots of E.K. Gaylord, the book tells his story ... his coming to Oklahoma, investment in the Daily Oklahoman, eventual ownership of it, WKY radio and television. Other family members, of course, are covered, too, all the way down to Gaillardia Golf & Country Club and beyond. The well-indexed book has lots of great images, too, as would be expected!

Doug Dawgz Thoughts: Content: 5 stars; Book's Images: 5 stars; Quality of production: 5 stars; Worth the money? 5 stars.

PHOTOGRAPHING OKLAHOMA: 1889/1991
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Click the pic for a larger viewAs one would expect from the title, aside from a pair of introductory sections, this book focuses on Oklahoma City images, black & white, and not content. But the images, largely historical, are quite good. Contemporary images (to the book's publication date, 1991) are also present ... I'm particularly fond of Mr. Klett's picture taken in the "then" North Canadian River with no water with a television someone must have lost there!

Doug Dawgz Thoughts: Content: 1 star; Book's Images: 5 stars; Quality of production: 5 stars; Worth the money? 4 stars.

THE VANISHED SPLENDOR
Click here for VSP Index p. 1   Click here for VSP Index p. 2
Click here for Sample Page
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Click the pic for a larger viewThese three magnificent colletor's-item books follow no particular flow but through 587 (in all books combined) postards or photos trace the nostalgic memories of Oklahoma City from its earliest days until some point in the 1960s, as best as I recall. Why these books are no longer in production, I haven't a clue because I'm confident that they would sell like hotcakes if they were. Not only are the images excellent (though fairly small), a very good "content" description is presented by the authors along-side each image presented.

Doug Dawgz Thoughts: Content: 4 1/2 stars; Book's Images: 4 1/2 stars; Quality of production: 5 stars; Worth the money? 5 stars.

THE VANISHED SPLENDOR II
Click here for VSP Index p. 1   Click here for VSP Index p. 2
Click here for Sample Page
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Click the pic for a larger viewThese three magnificent colletor's-item books follow no particular flow but through 587 (in all books combined) postards or photos trace the nostalgic memories of Oklahoma City from its earliest days until some point in the 1960s, as best as I recall. Why these books are no longer in production, I haven't a clue because I'm confident that they would sell like hotcakes if they were. Not only are the images excellent (though fairly small), a very good "content" description is presented by the authors along-side each image presented.

Doug Dawgz Thoughts: Content: 4 1/2 stars; Book's Images: 4 1/2 stars; Quality of production: 5 stars; Worth the money? 5 stars.

THE VANISHED SPLENDOR III
Click here for VSP Index p. 1   Click here for VSP Index p. 2
Click here for Sample Page
Next Book   Go To Book Links

Click the pic for a larger viewThese three magnificent colletor's-item books follow no particular flow but through 587 (in all books combined) postards or photos trace the nostalgic memories of Oklahoma City from its earliest days until some point in the 1960s, as best as I recall. Why these books are no longer in production, I haven't a clue because I'm confident that they would sell like hotcakes if they were. Not only are the images excellent (though fairly small), a very good "content" description is presented by the authors along-side each image presented.

Doug Dawgz Thoughts: Content: 4 1/2 stars; Book's Images: 4 1/2 stars; Quality of production: 5 stars; Worth the money? 5 stars.

WHEN OKLA TOOK THE TROLLEY
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Click the pic for a larger viewPart of national "trolleys" series, this book covers trolleys and interurbans throughout Oklahoma, but its coverage of Oklahoma City, its trolleys and interurbans to El Reno, Guthrie, and Norman occupies 49 pages of the book. A very good review of the development of local rail in Oklahoma City and the interurbans is presented as are many excellent images and advertisements. I would have liked a bit more detail on some of the images shown, but that's just me. The book is nicely indexed. It is also hard to find and pricey when you do.

Doug Dawgz Thoughts: Content: 4 stars; Book's Images: 4 1/2 stars; Quality of production: 4 1/2 stars; Worth the money? 4 1/2 stars.

BOOK LINKS. Full Circle Books, located at the northeast corner of the first level of 50 Penn Place, Oklahoma City, is Oklahoma's largest independent bookstore and I'm happy to support this fine business by showing links for books identified here if I understand them to be available there. Of course, you can also search on-line at Barnes & Noble and/or Borders, or, of course, do it the old way by actually going to a physical bookstore! And, for sure if you want an adventure, you might pay a visit to John Dunning's Western Trail Trading Post at 9100 N. Western, Oklahoma City. John has thousands of vintage postcards, lots of old books – there's good finds to be had in Dunning's rustic old store!

In the same alphabetical-by-book-title order, here are some links I located this morning, June 30, 2007. Only a sometimes abbreviated book title and publication year is shown below.


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5 comments:

Jason said...

Thanks for the list Doug. There's a couple on there I haven't seen yet!

Doug Dawg said...

Thanks, Jason ... I'm sure there are plenty more ... just a matter of finding them!

Lynne said...

This is a great resource for those of us who love and research OKC history -- thanks so much for putting it together.

I have a few books that you may want to add to your list:

State Fair of Oklahoma by Bob Blackburn and Paul Strasbaugh, 1994. This great book covers the rich history of the State Fair in great detail from its inception in 1898 through present day. It's an excellent OKC history resource.

Myriad of Sports by Pen Woods and Frank Boggs, 1971.

I found this heavily illustrated book at an estate sale many years ago and often look at it when I want to see what OKC was like at the end of the 60's when urban renewal was under way and still considered a good idea. I believe it was written while the Myriad Center (now the more blandly named Cox Center)was under construction, and the thing that makes this book so interesting is that it is littered with architectural renderings of how downtown was supposed to look after all of the urban renewal projects were completed. It's a fascinating book.

Enjoy Oklahoma City, 1970s. Another estate sale find. This is a book that was for local hotel guests, but it's a great resource for locating 70's restaurants, shops, and fashion. Heavily illustrated.

Heritage Hills by Bob Blackburn. Great history of that wonderful neighborhood.

Oklahoma Built: The First 100 Years by the Oklahoma Building Contractors, 1989.

This is a great book if you're looking for information about who designed certain buildings, when they were built, who the contractors were, etc. There's no content, really, just photos of buildings and who designed/built them. Very interesting.

The Immutable Images of Oklahoma by the OK Department of Commerce and Industry, 1960s. This great book is all images, very little text, of everyday life in Oklahoma and contains great photos of OKC churches, people, street scenes, events, etc.

Roman and Oklahoman: A Centennial History of the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City by James D. White, 2004. This book explores the history of the Catholic church in OKC and is heavily illustrated with photos and histories of different parishes.

Unknown said...

I'm a somewhat recent transplant to OKC, and have enjoyed reading this website (as well as the okchistory.com site) to help me learn about my new city's past. I have been working towards building a somewhat respectable collection of materials related to the history of Oklahoma City and some of its more famous residents. I've acquired a couple of books not listed that others might want to add to their list:

Title: Central City Plan Oklahoma City
Author: Jack T. Conn (prepared for the Oklahoma City Urban Renewal Authority by Gruen Associates)
Published: February 1975
Description: Contains about 125 pages of maps, photos, statistics and plans from the urban renewal period when the Pei Plan was still ongoing. Sets forth plans for continued development of the Central Business District, Harrison-Walnut Area, CBD South-Riverside Area, East Reno Area and Capitol Area.

Title: Oklahoma City, from Public Land to Private Property
Author: Berlin B. Chapman
Published: 1960
Description: Account of the earliest settlement days of Oklahoma City culled from old railroad records, interviews, newspapers, etc... Reminds me a little of Angelo C. Scott's "The Story of Oklahoma City"

I will hopefully post more as I continue to find them. Keep up the great work on the site!

Grams said...

There is also the three-volume "Story of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma", by W. F. Kerr and Ina Gainer, published in 1922. Copies can be found in various local libraries. W.F. Kerr was my grandfather.

Carolyn McCoy